Nigerian Army University Biu confers Doctorate Degree on Gen. Buratai
The Nigerian Army University Biu (NAUB), during its maiden convocation ceremony on Saturday, conferred an Honorary Doctorate Degree of Letters (honoris causa) on former Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. General Tukur Yusufu Buratai (Rtd).
Speaking during the occasion, Buratai who played a critical role in the establishment of the University in 2018 while he was the COAS, thanked the management of the university for the honour and expressed gratitude to God for seeing him through his 40 years of military career and blessing him with life and good health after retirement.
The former COAS noted that the award will motivate him to further rededicate his life to the service of humanity.
Noting that the Nigerian Army University Biu (NAUB) was established to curtail insecurity in the North-East through education, Buratai urged the management of the university to include in its curriculum, life skills that must be taught to the youths to make them become responsible members of the larger society.
The former Army chief congratulated the graduands and urged them to be excellent representatives of the university.
Buratai also commended the Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Kyari Mohammed for his diligence, hard work, discipline and prudence in the management of resources of the institution.
He also thanked his successors, the immediate former COAS, Lt.-Gen Faruk Yahaya (Rtd) and the current COAS, Lt.-Gen Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja for maintaining the legacy he laid for the university.
Speaking at the occasion, the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja, who is equally the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of the University, felicitated the graduands, urging them to be good brand ambassadors of the institution and to positively exploit the opportunities that abound in the country.
He said that by establishing the Nigerian Army University in Biu, the Army adopted the strategic option of exploring a non-kinetic approach to its counter-insurgency operations in Nigeria.
“We sought to achieve social inclusion and gender balance and expand diversity through education”, he clarified.
General Lagbaja asserted that the emergence and growth of the institution in the heart of the North East, an area that, he said, was until recently bedevilled by violence and insecurity, is a testament to the successes the Nigerian military has collectively achieved in its counter-insurgency efforts.
The Chairman of Northern Governors’ Forum and Gombe State Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, graced the maiden convocation ceremony of the Nigeria Army University, Biu, where he emphasized the importance of the educational institution to the North-East sub-region.
In an interview with news men, the Governor praised the establishment of the Army University and its potential to bring significant positive change to the North-East, particularly in light of the security challenges faced in the area.
He commended the quality of some of the facilities he had the privilege to commission, expressing his belief that the university would contribute immensely to the development of the region in the near future.
He also expressed his gratitude for the Chieftaincy title bestowed upon his friend, Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai (rtd), as Betaran Biu, emphasizing that this recognition signified the community’s appreciation for the former chief of army staff’s remarkable contributions to the development of the area, the state and the nation.